The Giving Doll in Wadsworth is bringing hope to children not only in the United States but across the globe. Jan Householder, who started The Giving Doll nine years ago, says they have made more than 27,000 dolls.
Last month, The Chapel in Green sent a mission team of 35 to Ichmul, Mexico. Along with the team went 354 Giving Dolls. One of the highlights of the trip was a teenage girl named Maria who had suffered a brain injury after a fall five years ago. Maria hadn’t been out of the house for three years and her only means of transportation was a three-wheel bike, making it difficult for her to get around. So the mission team gave her a wheelchair.
Every Giving Doll has a name and it just so happens the one the team pulled out of the bag for Maria was named Maria! “Just another example of the wonderful way God works,” Householder said on her Facebook page.
The organization is a nonprofit so they rely solely on donations and the help of volunteers. The Giving Doll is located on College Street and is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
These beautiful hand-stitched dolls reflect the ethnic groups of where they are shipped to.
“There’s nothing better than seeing smiles on the faces of children who receive these dolls,” Householder said. “For this one young girl in Africa, it replaced her stick that was wrapped in a piece of cloth so now she has something soft to snuggle.”
On the Web:
The Giving Doll http://thegivingdoll.com/
The Giving Doll on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGivingDoll
